Here's the link to the Cat Fest / Division 9 Hobie 16 Championships Notice of Race to be held at Lake Norman, NC, from September 7-8: http://documents.clubexpress.com/docume ... vEEHuhk%3d. Cat Fest is an open multihull regatta, however, the Hobie 16 portion will be a sanctioned HCA points regatta. All other Hobies are welcome and can race in the open classes.

We've reactivated two new fleets in Division 9 this year and this will be the first HCA points regatta here in several years. We are rebuilding a Hobie presence and would love to have as much participation as possible. Cat Fest is traditionally a great regatta and we are thrilled that the Lake Norman Yacht Club will be hosting us. Please preregister, per instructions in the NOR, so that the folks at LNYC can get an accurate head count for their planning purposes.

Just sent in my pre-reg and looking for crew. I have some feelers out but not sure of their availability yet.

Mark and others - I want to have fun but don't want to get in the way of the folks out there with more experience going for the points. What are a few tips that will allow us to compete yet not do something dumb at the starting line, etc. - and what main rules should we be aware of?

When I go to a regatta, I have four objectives, prioritized as follows: 1) No personal injuries to me or anyone else, 2) No property damage, 3) Have fun, and 4) Do well in the competition. I've always managed to accomplish the first three. The key to avoiding contact is knowing when you have the right of way and when you don’t. The quick lesson is: boats on starboard tack have right of way over boats on port tack; if two boats are on the same tack, the one to leeward has the right of way; when two boats on the same tack are approaching a mark, if within three boat lengths of the mark the inside boat has established an overlap with the outside boat, the outside boat has to give the inside boat room to round the mark – the outside boat can’t squeeze out the inside boat.

The key to starts is knowing how to maneuver your boat in tight spaces without getting stuck in irons – I try to anticipate situations that would get me boxed in and avoid them. I typically don't mix it up too much in close quarters with other boats. I lay back off the line and sheet in and make a run for it on starboard tack as the clock winds down. The goal is to arrive at the line on speed just as the horn blows – but not be over the line early. Know the starting flag sequence – if you don’t, ask someone to explain it at the skipper's meeting. The old salts will be glad to have a new guy there and typically will be happy to provide explanation. Sailboat racing can seem intimidating, but once you do it a few times you’ll find that the learning curve is steep and it won’t take long till you feel competent and confident. Racing isn’t that difficult to do, but it’s just difficult to do well. Few people ever really master it. Those that do really stand out. I enjoy the challenge of continually trying to improve. It’s rewarding when you put a good leg together or get a good start. Boat tuning isn’t as much of a factor as sailing well. When going to whether, watch your tell tales and keep ‘em flowing. If you think it’s time to tack to make the mark, you should probably go a little farther for insurance against judging it wrong and having to make another tack. Ask me how I know this – ugh!

Thanks Mark, that's as simple as I'd hoped. This and some encouragement from Garrett means alot, thanks for taking the time to distill this wisdom. Plus I'm working on bringing in a ringer off the bayou.